The pale face, messy dark hair, According to the inspiration from the somnambulist Cesare in the Cabinet of Dr Caligari, in 1990, Edward was created in the Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton. There are a lots of horror element in both of films. However, they are shows us different types of movie.
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a horror, but the Edward Scissorhands is a drama and romance movie. In the both of films, mise en scene and cinematograph is very helpful to building situation and character.In this essay, I will focus on 3 points to discuss these two essays. Firstly, I will explain the similarities and differences between both films on mise en scene. Secondly, I will contrast the cinematography of these two films, talk about their resemblance and difference.
At the last, I will discuss how it has affected the mise en scene and cinematography if the Auteur theory applies to either of the film directors. The Edward Scissorhands is films that talk about a robot named Edward.He was be created by an inventor who lives in an old castle, this inventor teach Edward many things, like poetry and etiquette. However, when this inventor wants to give Edward a hand, he sudden died following a short illness.
After that, Edward lives alone in this castle with his Scissorhands until a woman who is cosmetics Salesman, Peg, brings him to her home, pure and kind Edward love with Peg’s daughter, Kim. However, it causing an uproar in peace community, he were hustled off by people, at last, he go back again live in castle alone forever.In the Edward Scissorhands, the film’s scene is very simple, looks like peace community with large colour lump colour, but it is a striking contrast with Edward’s castle, the Edward’s castle is far away from community, the way to the castle is rugged and dark, and it appearance is eerie, gloomy, however, we could see when Peg enters, many lovely tree statues be made by Edward in the garden. It same as Edward, even he has not well even terror appearance, the pale face, messy dark hair, Black leather and Silver scissors hand, maybe he always living in insular castle, his heart is pure and lovely like a child.
On the other side, the director use the large lump colour to show the house that people lives in the community, yellow, pink, all things is colourful and brightness, uniform styles house looks shows these people are conservative, the people who lives in this colourful community bustled off Edward at the last, though this movie, we can see, these people are corrupt, greedy and selfishness. It also has huge contrast with Edwards. The movie use different tone, warm and cool colours contrast, and it also means Edward still different from the community’s people.Unlike The Edward Scissorhands, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari all uses the black to be the main colour. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is through a man who is mental disease to recount a story about a man’s life has been both a doctor and serial killers. Because it is a silent film, the audience will pay more attention to their ears.
The whole movie is gothic. It different from the Edward Scissorhands, in this movie, all scene is not the real, it all use some strange line, patterning and space, or some unusual prop. Skew the house, Bare and jagged tree, Distortion streets all throw off ghostly smell.For the make-up, it makes the grotesque style put to full use. In the movie, the Dr Caligari is wretched and unearthly, he wears black medieval Style robe, wretched glasses and draw a heavy makeup. Ferocious features and big eyes make people feel sacred.
All the mise en scene shows eeriness and strange. However, between the Edward and Cesare, the have similar make up, but the personalities of the characters is different, Edwards is pure, lovely, his eyes always like a child, but for Cesare, he likes a puppet without soul. We can see this point is their facial expressions and body language which is very important in a film.Edwards always has clumsy lovely gesture, in contrast, Cesare is dexterous but weird. In the Edward Scissorhands, Edward not too many expression, in most situations, his Face Expressionless, even he laugh, only is smile.
However, the director chooses to shoot his eyes to show his inner world, pure and clean. Compare with these two movies director, Robert Wiene and Tim Burton, we can see Tim Burton is an auteur, in fact, his all works have black humor style, some of building, color, even scene could be hide some deep meaning.In the Gentleness you will found cruel, in the dark you will found warm. Overall, the the Edward Scissorhands and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari are two type, but they all have Gothic style in the movie, for the film in that Decade, a good film is according to actor and the director how to use the angle of view. Even there have two types of films; we still can look at the same as them, a good director decision good or bad for a film in significant measure.
